Northwestern football coach dies

EVANSTON, Ill., June 30 (UPI) -- Randy Walker, the head football coach at Northwestern University, died suddenly Thursday night of an apparent heart attack, the school reported.

He was 52 and in his eighth season at Northwestern, coming off three successive seasons of six or more wins -- the first time Northwestern has accomplished that in 74 years.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife, Tammy, and his two children, Abbey and Jamie," said Northwestern Director of Athletics Mark Murphy. "This is a devastating loss, not only for our athletic program, but for the entire Northwestern community. Randy truly embraced Northwestern and its mission, and cared deeply for his student-athletes, both on and off the field."

Walker had a 37-46 record at Northwestern and a 96-81-5 mark for his coaching career.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.